Coin-operated machines able to release articles to purchasers thereof have long enjoyed great popularity for reasons including the fact that they can be left unattended, thereby reducing selling costs, and the fact that they are able to make sales continuously, day or night, whenever placed in a location open to the purchasing public.
Among the many different coin-operated vending machines that have been used in the past may be mentioned those consisting of a number of product-holding compartments disposed one on top of another in vertical stacks. Frequently a vending machine will hold a number of such stacks, side-by-side. During the vending operation, the bottom of the compartments lose their support due to the action of internal operating linkages, causing the product located thereon to fall from the machine to an access location.
While the use of such machines is widespread, they have the disadvantage of being inflexible with respect to the size of the product package that can be accommodated. In this regard, if the package is too large, it will not be receivable in a given compartment. On the other hand, if the compartment is larger than the product package, valuable vending space within the machine is unavailable for use.
Another type of vending machine commonly employed to sell product automatically comprises vertical bins in which product packages are stacked directly on top of each other, with no intervening supports. In the process of vending, the lowermost package is pushed from the stack through an opening and into an area where it is available to a purchaser.
Machines of the type described have the misfortune of being inflexible in that the opening through which the product is dispensed is designed for a specific package size, again making it impossible for the machine to vend packages of different sizes.
A still further type of vending machine frequently encountered positions product packages between adjacent coils of horizontal, revolving, helical spirals. In the dispensing process, the insertion of the proper coinage activates the turning of the spirals, moving product packages held thereby to a point at which they are discharged from the coils and free to fall to a location accessible by purchasers.
Again, such machines are inflexible in that the space between adjacent coils of the spirals determines the size of packages that can be accommodated. If a package is too large, it will not fit between the coils, while if it is too small, it will not be properly held in the coils, and thus will not be correctly propelled to the discharge location.
In view of the preceding, it is a first aspect of this invention to provide a vending device that has the capability of vending different size packages.
A second aspect of this invention is to provide a vending machine able to dispense product contained in small packages having variable geometry, such as small envelopes containing individual servings of powdered beverage concentrates.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide a vending device that stores vendable product in product bins on movable support panels until it is delivered to purchasers.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide a vending device in which the product supports are retained on a storage hanger following the dispensing process until the device is again reloaded with product.
An additional aspect of this invention is to provide a vending device in which the vending process once activated is operated by the action of gravity.
Yet an additional aspect of this invention is to provide a vending device that facilitates product loading procedures.
Still another aspect of this invention is to provide a vending device that has simple operating mechanics, contains few operating components, and is easy and inexpensive to construct.